Music making is often a collaborative effort among many musicians who interact with each other. One form of musical interaction may be provided by a video game genre known as “rhythm-action,” which involves a player performing phrases from a pre-recorded musical composition using a video game's input device to simulate a musical performance. If the player performs a sufficient percentage of the notes or cues displayed, he may score well and win the game. If the player fails to perform a sufficient percentage, he may score poorly and lose the game. Two or more players may compete against each other, such as by each one attempting to play back different, parallel musical phrases from the same song simultaneously, by playing alternating musical phrases from a song, or by playing similar phrases simultaneously. The player who plays the highest percentage of notes correctly may achieve the highest score and win. Two or more players may also play with each other cooperatively. In this mode, players may work together to play a song, such as by playing different parts of a song, either on similar or dissimilar instruments. One example of a rhythm-action game is the GUITAR HERO series of games published by Red Octane and Activision. Another example of a rhythm-action game is the KARAOKE REVOLUTION series of games published by Konami.
In some single-player rhythm action games, such as the GUITAR HERO series, it is possible for a player to “fail” midway through a song. That is, if the player's performance falls below a given threshold, the player may be prevented from completing the song. Such a failure may be accompanied by sounds of the music stopping, the crowd booing, and images of the band stopping the performance. This possibility of failure may enhance a game by providing more serious consequences for poor performance than simply a lower score. If a player wants to complete a song to the end, the player must satisfy a minimum standard of performance. Adapting this failure mechanic to a multiplayer game presents a challenge, as the enhanced incentives for good performance may be desired, but it may be undesirable for one player to remain inactive for long periods of time whilst others play a song.